El-Rufai’s Legal Battle Deepens As DSS Witness Details Alleged Plot To Frustrate EFCC Probe

A forensic investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, has alleged that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and some of his associates earmarked $600,000 for payments to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.

Kayode, the first prosecution witness in El-Rufai’s ongoing trial, made the allegation on Tuesday while testifying before Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court in Kawo.

The investigator told the court that forensic audio recordings captured conversations allegedly involving El-Rufai and suspected associates discussing efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.

According to Kayode, the recordings contained discussions about setting aside $500,000 and a separate $100,000 for the alleged payments. He also mentioned a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, another individual and Bashir El-Rufai in connection with the conversations.

The witness further alleged that the senior lawyer and the other individual were instructed to meet Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used in the liquidation of another company, with the intention of applying a similar process to Singularity.

He told the court that the discussions included proposals to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius. Kayode also referred to an investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and alleged efforts to prevent an EFCC inquiry into a company he described as listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The allegations form part of the prosecution’s case and have not been established by the court.

The proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26 p.m. to 8:18 p.m., with approximately two hours devoted to playing the audio recordings.

Earlier, El-Rufai’s lead counsel, Paul Erokoro, SAN, challenged Kayode’s appearance as a witness, arguing that his name and a summary of his expected testimony were missing from the prosecution’s proof of evidence.

Erokoro maintained that the omission could undermine his client’s right to a fair hearing, insisting that the defence needed adequate notice of the evidence it would be expected to answer.

However, counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, argued that Kayode had been subpoenaed and that the omission did not automatically render his testimony inadmissible.

Adedipe told the court that the subpoena was issued and signed on June 30, 2026, adding that the defence would have the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.

Erokoro insisted that his objection concerned the defence’s ability to prepare adequately, rather than Kayode’s eligibility to testify. Citing Section 210 of the applicable Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017, he argued that the subpoena should have been served on the defence.

In his ruling, Justice Khobo acknowledged that the witness’s name and testimony summary were absent from the proof of evidence. However, the judge held that court records confirmed the issuance of the subpoena and ruled that the omission did not automatically make Kayode’s testimony inadmissible, provided the defence retained its right to cross-examine him.

The defence later objected to the submission of a hard copy of Kayode’s forensic findings, arguing that the document should have been made available earlier for examination.

The court admitted the document as Exhibit One and ruled that the defence could obtain a certified true copy.

Following discussions between both parties, the case was adjourned until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination.

El-Rufai arrived at the court at approximately 11:50 a.m. under tight security. He was accompanied by Isah Ashiru, the African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Kaduna State.

His appearance followed an order directing the ICPC to produce him for the resumed hearing. The proceedings came days after the Court of Appeal in Kaduna dismissed his challenge to the High Court’s refusal to grant him bail.

In its judgment delivered on October 9, the appellate court held that El-Rufai had not presented sufficient grounds to overturn the lower court’s decision.

The former governor has been in ICPC custody since February 18, 2026, over allegations of financial misconduct relating to his administration of Kaduna State between 2015 and 2023.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the case is continuing as the prosecution presents its evidence, while the defence retains the opportunity to challenge the testimony and materials presented against the former governor.